Barter Up!

To Heck with the Government Programs! My sister in law Sally has come up with one that is Soooo..... much better that if word gets out everyone will want to participate!
Every year we plant a HUGE garden and there is always more produce than Hubbs and I can ever use or eat. Even freezing and canning we have excess, so we have offered our garden up to my mother in law and to my sister in law. Telling them to come down and help them selves.

This week we told Sally to come down and take whatever was left of our green beans after we had taken our fill. She picked what she wanted (hopefully everything that was left- I haven't looked yet) and took them home. Later she emailed me on Facebook- yes I do that too- and informed me she was starting her own barter program. Veggies for Bread.

Sally makes the best homemade breads! All different kinds, shapes and sizes and varieties and I love homemade bread. The problem is working full time I never make it. I once laughing told Sally I should hire her to be my baker. Now we are exchanging services. I give her the vegetables she doesn't have the garden space to grow and she provides the bread I don't have the time to bake.

How cool is that? We should do more of this more often. No money involved or needed. Simply an even exchange of goods and services.

The good old fashioned Barter System. Hmmm... I think they used to do this back in the old days and then we had something they called PROGRESS??????

Let me see... people are losing their homes, gas prices are up, we can't afford squat, and unemployment is running wild... Yeah I'd say that's progress. I vote we go back to doing things the old fashioned way.

To My Daughter Carrin

Today is my first born's birthday. 36 years ago today- I gave birth to one of the most beautiful baby girls I had ever seen. It was love at first sight- On my part any way- I have no idea what she thought of me.
In a way it's a little bittersweet because as she gets older, so do I.
I love all my children equally and in their own way. They are all individuals and as different as can be. It sometimes amazes me that I could have carried, born and raised 3 children in the same house, that turned out so different. Then I realize that is what makes them who they are.

Your first born is always the experiment. They don't come with directions and you really aren't prepared for them. Considering I was an 18 year old, single mother trying to raise Carrin on my own I really wasn't prepared for her. We sort of grew up together. I remember one time I took a nap when Carrin did but she woke up first. When I finally woke up she was decorated from one end of her body to the other with my make up! Good thing it was only my make up! Sometimes I am amazed that she made it at all but then again I realize that she took care of me those first two and a half years as much as I took care of her.

After I married the man who became her father, we really became over protective of her. She wasn't allowed to walk across the street without me standing at the corner watching her til I couldn't see her anymore, she could only ride her bike on the sidewalk in front of our house because we were afraid she would hurt herself (so of course when she had a bike accident and had to have stitches, she lied) and when she went to school which was only a block away, I had her so scared of strangers, she wouldn't accept a ride from a classmates mother in a snow storm because she didn't know who they were! Naturally, she wasn't allowed to shave her legs, pluck her eyebrows or date until she was 16! This lead to sneaking around and lying and a couple of car accidents cuz she was in the wrong place at the wrong time! Of course she thought her father and I were too dumb to know what was really going on!!!!

Eventually, she grew up, had some kids of her own and once in a while I even hear some of me coming out of her mouth when she talks to her kids. So I know she listened to me and retained some things I said when she was younger. I am proud of her and what she has accomplished with her life. She has 3 wonderful children and is helping to raise her fiance's son. They all know they are loved fiercely and are strong independent individuals because that is how she was raised. She is a daughter any mother would be proud to call their own but only I get that honor.

Carrin- Happy Birthday baby girl! May you have many more and may they all be wonderful!

And the Beat Goes On

This is my family.




My Mom and Dad, who started it all 60 years ago.



















This is my brother Mick, sisters Natalie, Lisa, Paula and me along with our parents.
























There are some grand children and great grand children missing from this picture so you can imagine what it's like when they are all in attendance!

These are the women that carry the Schuler name and legacy.
We are proud, independent, strong women and let our men know who's in charge every chance we get. You don't want to mess with us! We are Woman hear us Roar!

A little paddle boating and inner tubing was done through out the weekend.

There was some sun bathing by people and non people (don't tell Buddy he isn't people though cuz he thinks he is)

Before the Compound weekend there was some
farm chores that had to be done by the City Slickers! Morgan milked her first cow with an assist from Sydney Jo.

And this is Noah on his Lipstick. I mean his Ripstick that he got for his birthday. He got pretty good at riding it after a weekend of practice.

My newest grandson, Jackson caught his first fish and Grandpa George helped him take it off the line. He fit right in with all the rest of us and was so good the whole weekend considering he was so far away from his parents.

This is Bob and Ashley (the newest couple in the family).

See the big grin on her face? He managed to survive the weekend and took her back home with him so guess we didn't drive him away with all our insanity.

The Summer of Love weekend at the Chrouser Compound is over and from my point of view it was a rousing success. There was tons of garbage and recyclables (beer bottles and cans) so everyone must have had a good time, right? I think this should be an annual event. OOPS, don't tell hubbs I said that.